Of Pirates and Treasure Hunts
by Writer of Many Things-Goggles
Summary: Emma comes into the sheriff station expecting another day of work, but an unexpected call sets her off on an unexpected scavenger hunt with some surprises along the way.


Emma Swan knew something was up the moment she walked into the sheriff's office that morning. She'd stopped at Granny's to get coffee for herself and her father, but David was nowhere to be seen. He usually got there an hour before she did, so he could leave an hour earlier to have dinner with Mary Margaret and Neil before the little prince had to be put to bed. The fact that he wasn't there already was greatly concerning to Emma, so she set the cups down and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

The call went to voicemail just as the sheriff's office phone rang. "Hey Dad, it's me; just checking up on you. Call me back as soon as possible, thanks." She quickly ended the call and ran to answer the other phone.

"Sheriff's office," she said, emotionally bracing herself for the first disturbance of the morning. Hearing Grumpy's voice on the other end seemed to confirm the idea that this was going to be a very long day in Storybrooke.

"Emma! Thank goodness you're here! There's a brawl going on at Granny's diner! Ya gotta come break these two up!" Grumpy sounded more stressed than he usually did, which Emma didn't think was possible, but he also seemed like he had stifled a laugh or a snort at the end of his sentence.

"Okay, Leroy, calm down for a second. Who is fighting right now?" She attempted to hide her exasperation, a feat she found she was close to mastering after having been sheriff of this crazy town for quite some time.

"It's Killian and Robin!" Grumpy practically shouted into the phone. "They're just going at it! I don't know why, but they…"

Thoroughly confused by this point, Emma interrupted him. "Whoa whoa whoa! Killian and Robin? Brawling at Granny's? At _nine 'o clock in the morning_? Are they drunk or something?"

"Listen, sister, I have no clue what they're up to, but if you don't get up here and stop them soon, they're gonna make a mess and maybe even kill each other. Unless Granny gets to 'em with her crossbow first!"

"Fine, I'll be there in just a minute." Emma sighed and nearly slammed the phone down. She knew Killian was a pirate and Robin a thief, but the two did have an honor code and they always got along, so she couldn't think of any possible reason for the two of them to fight. It was hard for her not to be too distracted as she hopped into her bug and drove over to Granny's diner.

As she walked up the porch to the restaurant, Emma could see no signs of a fight occuring inside the building, and began to wonder what exactly was going on. Granny was right at the counter as she came in, so she immediately walked over to her and said, "Hey, where are Killian and Robin?"

"Well, hon, they left just about a minute ago. Why are looking for them?" Granny said, with a pleasant look on her face.

"I got a call from Leroy saying that the two of them were here fighting just a minute ago. Did they decide to take the fight somewhere else or…?" Emma glanced around the diner inquisitively, as if hoping that Killian and Robin would pop out of the booth suddenly. _Surprise, it was a prank! Sorry to waste your time. Please don't be too mad at us._

"I have absolutely no idea what he could have meant. The two of them came in here, grabbed a cup of coffee, and left. Oh, but Killian did leave this for you. I asked him what for, but he just said you'd understand." Granny reached below the counter and brought up a shiny silver flask and a note.

Emma gingerly took the items and examined them. First the flask, which had a beautiful engraving of a pirate ship on it, and below that, the word "Swan" written in flowing script. Smiling, she took her attention from the flask to the note. In equally flowing letters, the note said:

"_My dearest Swan,_

_Remember when I told you that you would make a hell of a pirate? I certainly still stand by that statement. But what would a pirate be if she couldn't find treasure? See if you can follow this "treasure map" of sorts to find your bounty._

_They say home is where the heart is, and for me that's certainly you. But where would I be had we never met? Follow your instincts to the next step of the treasure hunt and prove yourself a pirate._

_Yours Truly,_

_Killian"_

After taking a second to look over the note and absorb what it said, Emma glanced at Granny and couldn't help but smile a little. "So this whole thing was just a start for a scavenger hunt?"

Grinning, Granny said, "Is it? That explains quite a bit. Where are you supposed to go next?"

As Emma stepped onto the docks, she saw the Jolly Roger floating there in all its glory. She thought about all the trouble Killian had gone through with this ship; how he got the ship after the passing of his brother, the centuries he spent as a pirate, trading his home to get back to her, and finally managing to retrieve it after so long apart. She knew when he said "where would I be had we never met?" that this was what he meant. This ship had been his heart, his soul, his best friend for so long, and if he was still in the Enchanted Forest or Neverland, he would certainly still be sailing with his beloved ship.

Also, it certainly didn't help that the flask had a pirate ship on the front. She admired the fact that the flask was both a gift and a clue. Emma knew Killian was clever, but she supposed that you couldn't live for over three centuries without picking up lots of clever tricks and riddles. She wondered if he was aware of the trope in this world about pirates and their treasure maps; perhaps this was what had inspired his little treasure hunt today.

The Jolly Roger was docked open, but seemed clearly deserted. As Emma climbed up the steps, she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling the device out of her pocket, she saw David Nolan's name flashing on the screen. "Hey Dad, what's up?"

"Hey, Emma, sweetie, glad I caught you. I just got to the sheriff's office and saw that you weren't here. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah, I got a fake call from Grumpy about some brawl at Granny's that turned out to be just a ruse for Killian to get me on a scavenger hunt or something." Emma couldn't help but laugh a tiny bit at how ridiculous that sounded out loud.

"Huh, well that's something. How about you take the rest of the day off and figure out this puzzle then? I'll call you if anything major goes down. Does that sound fine to you?"

It seemed to Emma that David likely knew more than he was letting on, but she told him that it would be great and she could probably use a day off. With what sounded like a suppressed laugh, he wished her good luck with this "treasure hunt or whatever" and told her to call him or Mary Margaret if she needed help with anything. As she hung up the phone, Emma had a suspicion that more than likely she was the only one in Storybrooke who _wasn't_ in on Killian's little scheme.

After a quick examination of the deck, she noticed that the door to the captain's quarters was uncharacteristically open. Upon entering, she didn't notice anything out of place immediately, but she knew Hook would never leave the door open so carelessly, and so proceeded to examine the cabin as carefully yet thoroughly as possible. Carefully tucked under the top bedsheet, Emma found a gold dubloon and another note written on parchment paper. This one read:

"_My dearest Swan,_

_I remember when I spent so long searching for something that only left me empty inside. I truly was a lost boy. Thankfully, the universe has a way of returning what is lost, and so I found you. I am so grateful to you for helping me to become a better man._

_I've gotten all I ever could have wished for. Now it's time to make a wish of your own._

_Yours Truly, _

_Killian"_

Sliding her finger over the edge of the paper she held, she contemplated all that Killian had gone through, both in his entire life and in the time she had known him. When she saw him for the first time on that day and had climbed the beanstalk with him, she had never imagined what would have come out of that meeting. Growing up how she did and then suddenly being thrust into a world where fairy tales were real when she turned twenty eight, Emma was unsurprisingly skeptical about the idea of soulmates, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was something to the concept after all…

Promptly, she removed herself from that train of thought. Killian had given her a puzzle and she was going to solve it. Pocketing the coin and the letter, she exited the ship and hopped into her bug, knowing exactly where she needed to go.

Coming back to the well brought back interesting memories for Emma. It felt like an eternity ago when she had climbed out of the well and returned from her short stay in the Enchanted Forest. The land that she was from, the land Killian was from, and the land the two of them had met for the first time. Killian knew the history of Lake Nostos, whether from his years exploring the lands or simply from Cora telling him the origin, but he was clueless to the idea that when Emma and her mother had jumped into the lake, it had brought them to the well. He had seemed rather amused by the thought of them climbing out of the well after being transported back to Storybrooke.

Approaching the well, Emma took the coin and rolled it gently around in her hand. She had no idea if it would actually make difference or not, but she closed her eyes and made a small wish, before tossing the coin into the well. Just three seconds after the coin had left her hand, she heard a whoosh and thump to her right. Looking up, she saw an arrow embedded in the tree to her right.

Quickly, she glanced around to see if she could find the source of the arrow. Her hand went to her gun instinctively; even though she was sure this was the next part of Killian's scavenger hunt, living in a town like Storybrooke and being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming made a person get used to unexpected threats at any turn very quickly. After thirty seconds or so with no one in sight, Emma approached the arrow.

As she had suspected, there was a note wrapped around the base of the arrow. Emma recalled how both Leroy and Granny had mentioned Robin's name earlier, and realized that he was likely in cahoots with Killian on this as well. At this point, she knew she shouldn't be surprised, but couldn't help but smile at the thought of all the work Killian himself had put into it, as well as what he'd managed to convince his friends to do for her.

Just as with the other spots, the cryptic note was on parchment and written in Killian's flowing script.

_My dearest Swan,_

_In this world, people like your parents and me are famous. Many have written stories and even made moving pictures about us dating back centuries. Your parents' love story is even considered an unrivaled tale of true love in this realm._

_I think it's time we began our own story together, the princess and her pirate. Take a blank page and write our own tale. Perhaps children will read our story years from now, just like you did when you were a young lass._

_Yours truly,_

_Killian"_

Smiling, Emma had to stop and take a second to breathe. Even though she had her parents and Henry, after going through her life in the foster system and feeling so alone, she still couldn't quite get over how much Killian loved her, and how much she loved him back. The love she could feel through not only the note but the entire "treasure hunt" was so overwhelming that it almost scared her. But Killian had helped her to bring her walls down, and her parents and Henry had allowed her to learn to trust people once again. Looking at this tangible reminder of the love she now had in her life made her so happy she could barely contain it.

However, this clue was harder than the others, so she quickly collected her thoughts and began to analyze the note. Hopping into the bug, she mulled over each of the words and thought about the other clues. Every other note had led to a place that was important to the two of them. So what could this note be talking about?

Out of the blue, Emma realized that "pages" and "story" were hints leading to the library. Not only was Belle a close friend to both of them, but the two of them had faced Maleficent down in the depths of the library on separate occasions back when they barely knew each other. The library made perfect sense for the next location in Killian's scavenger hunt. Emma quickly shifted the bug into drive and shot off towards the library.

After having parked, Emma walked into the library, eager to see what Killian had in store for her next. Upon entering, she saw Belle standing over a stack of books, organizing them into three separate piles. Hearing the click of the door, she looked up and smiled at Emma. "Hey, Emma! What brings you to the library today?"

"Well, Killian has actually got me on a scavenger hunt right now," she said showing her the note. "This is a clue to the next location but I'm not sure where the clue is. Any ideas?"

"Oh! Killian returned this book the other day; I wonder if there's something here?" As Belle's heels clicked on the tile surface of the library's floor, she walked to the nearest bookshelf and pulled out a book. "Happy hunting!" she said, handing the book to Emma.

The specific book took Emma aback because it appeared to be Henry's storybook; however, closer inspection revealed it to be one of the blank storybooks they had found so long ago in the author's house. Emma briefly flipped through the pages before stumbling on a piece of paper that was folded up and tucked in the middle of the book. She pulled out the paper, set the book down, and carefully unfolded the paper. Instead of a note like she expected, there was simply a painting of the mines underneath the library. Perhaps he couldn't think of any clue to guide her to the next spot, but the picture made it pretty obvious where she needed to go next.

Just in case she needed it, she folded the paper back up, tucked it in her pocket, and proceeded to the elevator. She called out to Belle to let her know where she was going, then opened the doors and stepped inside. As the elevator began to lower, Emma had a hunch that this would be the last spot on Killian's little hunt.

As the doors opened, Emma gasped. The jewels embedded in the walls were all glistening and glimmering in various colors. Even though there seemed to be lights coming from the jewels, it was just enough to light the way without being blinding.

Emma began to walk down the mines, looking for any signs of a clue. Before she got very far, she spotted Killian himself, leaning against the wall of the mines. He had forgone his usual leather jacket and navy shirt for a red button down with a black vest and tie, and even though it was quite casual, the only word that came to Emma's mind was "dapper". As he saw her, he pushed away from a wall and gave her that crooked grin that still sent her stomach into butterflies.

"Well, Swan, glad to see you figured out all of the clues I gave you," he said, cocking his head to the side playfully.

"You said it yourself, I'd make one hell of a pirate. Didn't take much to follow your treasure map. Now where's my booty, pirate?"

Before she could even register what was happening, Killian had pulled a small box out of his pocket and gotten down on one knee. Almost as if he knew she would stop him, he held up a finger. "Emma, I know what you're thinking but please hear me out. Years ago, when I first met you in the Enchanted Forest, I never thought I would get the opportunity to really know you. I was just a foolish man with a dark heart and a petty crush on a golden-haired princess. Thankfully someone somewhere saw the potential in me and gave me a second chance, a chance to turn my life around for the better. And every day I thank them for the opportunity, because I got to become a part of your life. Through Neverland, the Snow Queen, even all of the Crocodile's doings, we've faced evil together and defeated it. Years ago I never would have believed that I was capable of love; yet I couldn't deny it when I saw true love staring at me in the face, and I'd be a fool if I didn't go for my happy ending. So, Emma Swan, would you do me the great honor and privilege of taking my hand in marriage?"

After he finished his speech, he opened the box to reveal the ring, but Emma didn't even glance at the jewelry. She could only look into his bright blue eyes, which held all the love and pain they'd gone through, both together and apart, and she realized once and for all that she didn't have to go through life alone anymore. He was there to love, to lean on, to support her and be supported by her. They both had come such a long way in their lives, but every choice they had made had led up to this moment, and she knew neither of them would trade it for all the realms.

"Yes," she whispered, and he practically pounced on her with a kiss. As they broke apart, he took the ring from the velvet box and gently placed it on her finger. The ring was a simple gold band with a small diamond in the center, but looking closely, she could see that on one side of the diamond was an engraving of a swan and on the other was a ship. "It's beautiful, Killian," Emma said, kissing him once more.

"Henry helped me design it," he said, breaking the kiss. "We both agreed you'd like something a little more simple but with a little personalized flair."

Leaning against his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his, she said, "My boys know me so well. I'm so lucky to have both of you in my life."

"Speaking of Henry," he said, starting to walk back to the elevator, "what say we head to Granny's? Your son and I think quite a few others are there waiting to hear the verdict."

Looking up at Killian from where her head was resting, Emma asked, "Who all was involved in this scheme of yours?"

"Quite literally everyone in the town except you, love. I can explain in detail as we drive if you'd like," he said, as the elevator doors closed.

"You know, I think I'll just appreciate this little treasure hunt for what I saw of it, and leave the magic behind the scenes."

That night as she celebrated with friend and family, Emma realized just how loved she was by everyone in the diner, and how much she loved them in return. Everything had fallen into place in her life in the end, even though she had fought tooth and nail for all that she had. If someone had told little Emma all those years ago that she would find a family of her own, she would have wept tears of joy, just as she was doing now as she talked and laughed and kissed and loved all those around her, especially her pirate.


End file.
